Sholem Aleichem School Performance Report 2014
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Table of Contents
Introduction .………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2
Staff ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4 Qualifications of teaching staff ……………………………………………………………………………………4
Attendance & Satisfaction rates …………………………………………………………………………………………….6 Staff …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6 Students ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6 Parents ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7
Curriculum …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7 Professional Development Attended ………………………………………………………………………….12
Reporting & Assesment ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..16
Support Programs …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………18 The Gap program ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18 Bridges – Numeracy …………………………………………………………………………………………………….18 Bridges – Literacy ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18 The ESL program ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….19
Naplan results ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..20 Year 3 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..20 Five year trends …………………………………………………………………………………………………………21 Year 5 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..25 Five year trends …………………………………………………………………………………………………………25 Finance Report …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….32
New and enhanced curricula and co-curricula activities ………………………………………………………33
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
Introduction Expanding our Horizons
Following on from last year’s Sholem Aleichem College theme of ‘Making a Difference’, at the beginning of this year I set a challenge to the entire school – students, teachers and administrative staff alike – to ‘Expand your Horizons’ and to create an exceptional year of learning, growth, discovery and development.
The college collectively responded to the challenge of expanding their horizons in myriad ways. Our students and staff have constantly sought ways to consider tasks and situations from a fresh perspective, to take on new ideas and challenges, to question the way they learn, work and teach so as to be able to execute such tasks in a more productive, efficient and creative manner. They have excelled in new sporting endeavours, remained at the forefront of technological change and development in education, they have sought ways to better help, serve and communicate with each other and with the broader community and world outside of Sholem, and they have consistently refused to settle for mediocrity, but rather have sought new and invigorating ways to push the boundaries, to jump over hurdles and to truly expand their horizons.
The year began with the customary flurry of activity that Term 1 brings. The new preps embraced the excitement of their first day of school with a wonderful balance of enthusiasm, courage, confidence and of course some trepidation. This year we had two prep classes with a total of 41 students. There were many new families to welcome across the college, as is reflected in our large increase in numbers from 2013. It was an absolute pleasure to welcome an energetic, engaging and thoroughly delightful group of new comers to our Junior Kinder and throughout the college.
The arrival of so many new families, coupled with the strength of our senior year’s classes, has seen the college continue to grow at a powerful rate. It is important to remember though that while growth is generally seen as a positive, we never want to grow too large, or to expand in a manner that would take us away from being the warm, close knit, supportive community that lies at the heart of what makes Sholem unique. Our essential nature is that of a small school, where every child, and every family is well known and highly valued in their own right, and where our specialisation as early learning experts allows us to focus our full attention on the vital preschool and primary years stages of our students’ development.
Throughout the year, our senior management team attended 6 retreat days to develop a school educational improvement plan for the next 3 years. All primary staff attended 2 sessions and a document, that will drive our educational offerings, curriculum, assessment and school structure, has been developed.
In a year packed with so many opportunities, one new area that is a highlight is the amazing success that we have had on the sporting field. Spearheaded by the interschool, regional and State level successes of our senior year’s teams and flowing down to our youngest learners who are all actively engaged in our All Stars program, Sholem has made a consistent effort and improvement in all things sporting during 2014. It is vital of course to remember that sport and physical activity play an essential role in the development of our children that extends far beyond the actual court, field or gym in which the activity takes place. Sport helps our children to build character and determination, learn team oriented skills and develop confidence as well as building the foundations from which their future physical health and wellbeing will be based.
The year has indeed been an exceptional one for Sholem’s Senior Years sports teams. Sholem’s teams, male, female and mixed, have enjoyed outstanding results across a broad range of sports including netball, basketball, football and cross country running. Full details can be found later in the yearbook.
As pleased as the school is with the scoreboard success of its leading teams, what has been equally pleasing is the tremendous sportsmanship, both on and off the field that has been displayed by Sholem’s athletes. They have continually won praise from competitors and officials alike for the sustained respect they have shown for those who opposed them on the field, and also for the courtesy and appreciation they have shown for the efforts of those who officiated and organised the various competitions.
As part of a balanced curriculum Sholem has maintained its place at the forefront of the technological revolution that is rapidly changing the way education is delivered and learning is received in the early part of the 21st Century. This year saw the introduction of our B.Y.O. iPad policy. The school is proud that it did not rush headlong into this endeavour,
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014 instead waiting till the appropriate learning methodologies and practices could be put in place around our iPad platforms to ensure that the rate of engagement with technology in the classroom did not exceed the ability of the technology to deliver actual and measurable improvements in learning outcomes. We are proud to say that the iPad program has made a positive difference in the classroom, particularly in respect of student engagement and open ended learning activities and we look forward to continually refining and improving our use of iPads into the future.
Our Jewish Life remains firmly at the centre of everything we do at Sholem. We live and breathe our Jewish identity everyday at Sholem, both in terms of our informal learning and activities and also in our formal curriculum. Whether it is the joyous celebrations of Purim, the festive singing and eating at Pesach, the tradition of the weekly Shabbes Assemblies, the making of Sukkahs, the lighting of the Chanukkiahs, the dancing on Yom Haatzmaut, the blowing of the Shofars in Elul, or the simple telling of a Yiddish story our rich Jewish culture and tradition lies at the very essence of who we are and what we do at Sholem and it is truly heart warming to see how our Judaism is so vibrantly embraced and joyously lived at Sholem. Also in August I visited the Bialik school in Montreal and our two schools will be working on a joint project in 2015.
The year of course had many individual highlights.
Our school concert, A Shtick in Time, once again showcased the tremendous talents and abilities of our students. The children sang, danced and acted their way through an original story that had them racing back in time from a not so distant future that was devoid of music. The clever narrative device gave them the opportunity to present to the audience an eclectic collection of best loved songs from a range of musical epochs including the 50s, 70s, 80s and 2010s – all in Sholem’s trademark mixture of English, Yiddish and Hebrew. A hearty kol hakavod to all involved – front of stage and behind the scenes. Your tremendous dedication, talent and creativity once again provided a theatrical spectacular that will not soon be forgotten.
Our 5th Annual Business Breakfast was held at Carousel Receptions on September 9th. This year’s theme was ‘The Business of the Future – How to lead, not just compete.’ The theme provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the rapid changes in our educational landscape and how we prepare our students for the future in conjunction with developments in the world of business and careers. Over a scrumptious meal delivered against the backdrop of the majestic Albert Park Lake, 120 guests were thoroughly entertained and engaged by our panel of expert speakers comprising Morris Miselowski, Ernie Schwartz and Elliot Epstein. The discussion was moderated by Phillip Kingston of Gary Peer and Associates and provided a fascinating insight into the latest innovations in the world of sales, leadership and communication.
Sholem Aleichem continues to place great emphasis on the professional learning and development of all staff members. Our teachers are constantly involved in Professional Development programs and seminars and take great pride in bringing back to the college the knowledge they gain as part of this process. At a personal level I had the great pleasure earlier this year of attending the ‘Future of Learning’ conference at Harvard. The unique event drew together 300 leading educators from all over world. The keynote speakers included some of the world’s most highly respected and influential educational experts such as Howard Gardner and David Perkins, and the personal knowledge and experience that I gained have given me valuable insights into how learning can be structured and improved within a school environment. In April I also attended a conference at Columbia University (9th and 10th April) in New York that looked at global learning with speakers from Finland, Singapore, Helsinki, and USA. The opportunities to “expand my own horizons” has enabled not only my own professional and personal growth but will have definitely help shape the future directions of Sholem.
The team at Sholem exhibit asustained professionalism, commitment and enthusiasm that they bring to the school each and every day. Their dedication and devotion to our students is what lies at the heart of Sholem being such a unique and supportive community and a renown and respected educational institution. I think we all understand the demands and rigours of working within a school environment and I couldn’t be prouder of the way the Sholem team consistently works together to improve themselves so as to ensure the best possible outcomes for each and every student that is a part of our college.
The tremendous efforts of the Sholem Aleichem College Parents Association (SACPA) make a huge difference to the school at so many levels. From the excitement and buzz that surrounds the carnival to the regular hotdogs on a Friday,
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014 from the valuable funds raised for the college to the community building events such as the Trivia Night, SACPA continually raise the bar in terms of what a Parents Association can be.
More than just a school, above all Sholem is a community. It is a community that is renown for its warmth, its sense of mutual support and shared purpose, and for the nurture and care that it provides to each and every student. To each and every member of our community, I offer my thanks and appreciation for your unique, valuable and irreplaceable contribution to Sholem.
As we reflect how we have expanded our horizons, we look forward to the challenges and further growth that makes Sholem the exciting warm “hamish” place it is today.
This report has been distributed to the community via email, a link in the school newsletter and on our school website.
Staff In 2014, Sholem Aleichem College Primary School employed 1 principal, 14 full time, 18 part time (direct and indirect) teaching and 11 administration staff. The principal, Helen Greenberg, has completed her 8th year in the role.
Teachers Qualifications 2014
Anne Gawenda B.Arts Dip Ed
Dip. Media and Grad. Dip. Connie Filidis Communications B. Arts/Journalism Primary Ed.
Constantine Roubos B. Dental Science B. Ed
Cert Adv Deb Samuel B Ed Dip T, coaching
Dvora Zylberman B.Arts/Ed. (Arts)
Grad. Dip. Ed Post Grad. Cert. Einat Orbach B Arts (Primary) in Ed. Studies
B.App Sci (Sp Elisa Gray Pathology) VIT Yiddish
Elissa Gryngras B.Ed (Primary)
Etty Arbel B.Spec. Ed VIT Hebrew
Freydi Mrocki Dip. Teach VIT Yiddish
Helen Greenberg B.Arts Grad. Dip. Ed
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
Joanne Davis B.Arts Dip Ed.
Joel Halperin B.Art Dip. Ed
Laura Uhe B. Arts Dip Ed
Master Primary Madelyn Bryner Teaching B. Arts Dip Music (Piano)
Mandy Rajch B.Ed (Primary)
Maureen Carroll Dip T B.Ed M.Ed Ph.D
Michelle Nachsatz Dip T B.Ed
Miriam Chester Dip DN VIT Yiddish
Dip. Modern Natalie Samuel B.Ed Languages
Pearl Sclarr Dip Ed B.Ed
Rachel Joseph B.Sc M.Ed
Reyzl Zylberman B.Arts/Ed. (Secondary) B.Arts
Robyn Klein Dip T B.Ed
Grad Dip Sally Holzer TPTC B.Arts (Pr). Music Ed.
Samantha Kirzner Dip Com Serv B.ECE Post Gra. Sp. Ed
Selina Rutko B.Ed(primary) M.Ed
Sharlene Wertheimer Dip Teach Grad Dip Sp.Ed M. Ed (Spec. Ed)
Grad Diploma (International B. Arts (multi discipline) relations) Grad Dip Ed Masters Education
Shelley Engel
Simone Sann B Ed (Primary)
Grad Dip. Ed Steven Charisis Dip. Ed B.Ed Admin
B. Ed Dip Children’s Cert 3 Children’s Tammy Bolaffi services Services
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
Attendance & Satisfaction rates Staff
Primary teachers (secular school) 97.4% Jewish school 88.5% ( 1 staff member took leave without pay for an extended period) Non-teaching staff 90.5%
Overall, staff attendance rate was high with some staff taking long service leave, leave without pay and an administration member who does not work during term breaks. Last year we undertook a survey of all staff and overall we have happy staff who feel valued. Of course this will have a positive impact on our students and their performance. Also, on many occasions informal feedback was sought. Staff opinion was also gleaned at staff appraisals. The staff felt Sholem is definitely an excellent working environment, with many opportunities to become involved in professional learning. Students The average attendance rate for 2014- total days (year 1 to year 6 was 186 days) (prep was 182 days)
Prep 96%
Grade 1 96%
Grade 2 95%
Grade 3 96%
Grade 4 94%
Grade 5 97%
Grade 6 96%
Our attendance rate for our students is once again very satisfactory.
In October 2014, we once again surveyed our students from grade 2 to 6. Overall we are delighted with the results of the Student Satisfaction Report. Its findings show Sholem Aleichem College to be a place where students feel happy and safe, have good interpersonal relationships with their peers and teachers, and enjoy coming to school. They feel appropriately challenged and satisfied with their learning and are enthusiastic and engaged learners.
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
Parents In 2014 we once again conducted a survey with our parent body. This 52 page independent report on parents’ views and overall satisfaction levels was delivered K2 Consultants.
The families felt as if there is a real sense of community and that the teachers provide many opportunities for communication and feedback as well as general communication from the school is timely and informative. Key themes in this year’s report include that teachers cultivate an enthusiasm for learning, have a deep understanding of their students, and enjoy teaching. They felt their children are very happy at Sholem and enjoy coming to school. Parents generally feel confident in the way issues are dealt with between children, leadership and administration.
We have taken on board comments from last year and will continue to address these for example- the school reports to be more user friendly and clearly highlighting students specific strengths and challenges. The parent portal is also an area which is difficult to access and we need to review and improve our calibre of Hebrew staff.
Parent comment “ Overall Sholem is a brilliant school with hard working committed staff. It has a warm and caring environment. It achieves outstanding results, academically and in the way students are taught to be mentschn(good and respectful human beings). The school sees the whole child. I am really proud to be a Sholem parent”. Curriculum The school focus for 2014 was Expanding Horizons. It was a year of reflection at what we had achieved and then looking to the future and how we saw the College moving forward.
Throughout the year, Senior management held off campus discussions on our school improvement plan, risk management and improvements for the College. Staff input was extremely valuable in formulating ideas and changes to curriculum and how this could be incorporated into our plan for the future. Tammy Bolaffi took on role of curriculum coordinator for prep and grade 1
Simone Sann took on role as eLearning coordinator for prep and grade 1
All staff were involved in peer visits throughout the year, choosing a focus area, having a conversation with their chosen colleague and writing a report. Peer visits are encouraged to foster colleagiality, learn more about oneself as a teacher and improve student learning through self-reflection.
The Jolly Phonics spelling and Grammar program (introduced into Prep 2013) was extended to Grade 1, having proved to be highly successful and adding continuity for the students. The Life Education program delivered age appropriate knowledge to support informed health choices and develop and practice skills /strategies to help students make individual decisions and recognise the values and attitudes that may influence their lifestyle choices and behaviours.
The Feuerstein program was continued in Years 1,2,4 and 5/6 focusing on enhancing students’ cognitive functions to improve decision making, planning and flexible thinking, and help participants gain confidence in their abilities to achieve their potential.
HUSHeducation presented a program to Years 4,5,6 aimed at learning body awareness and protective behaviours and attempting to understand and navigate the puberty years.
Staff Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) focused on improving student responses in grammar and worded problem solving.
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
A prior concern had been the limited involvement of our senior students in interschool sports. The P.E. teachers investigated working with Maccabbi on skill sessions, spoke to TKDS re: interschool sports and grade 5 and 6 joining competitions with schools in local areas. The College joined School Sports Victoria( cross country ,soccer and netball) and fielded teams with great success. We also participated in the AFL multicultural footy program and skill training, fostering cooperation and understanding among different cultures.
The suitability of a swimming venue was an annual concern and we ran the program from a new Venue, Starfish, which was highly successful and we will be using again in 2015.
The children all settled in beautifully and there was a buzz of activity in all the classrooms as they engaged in new learning and discovered new horizons of knowledge.
The school year began with teachers spending many hours reviewing their curriculum and planning for the year. They upgraded their First Aid training with Life Saving Victoria.
The P.E. Department joined School Sports of Victoria which gave our students greater opportunity to compete against other schools in the region.
IPads were a huge focus for the year with both teachers and students familiarising themselves with use and ways of enhancing learning. Weekly afterschool meetings in ICT by Michelle Nachsatz improved teacher education in this area.
Technology was seen as an everyday part of each classroom with teachers integrating the use of interactive whiteboards, computers, iPads and software programs into their teaching
To ensure our students understood the issues that can arise with technology, we introduced a digital citizenship program. We were part of pilot program last year (2013). This will continue to be part of the curriculum 8n the future
History and Science continued to be the basis for units of Inquiry.
The Grade 5/6 cohort of students evaluated leadership qualities and attended the “Leadership Conference for Students’”
NAPLAN tests were held for the Grade 3 and 5 students- with outstanding personal results in grade 3 as well as comparison to other schools. Our cohort in grade 5 was too small to gain any meaningful comparison and overall trend.
As a staff, we began to look at assessment as a whole school scope and sequence and best practice in this area.
All teachers participated in the following professional development:
upgraded their First Aid training with Life Saving Victoria attended seminars on dyslexia -a difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. The seminars focused on increasing staff knowledge of the range of causes that exist for DYSLEXIA, identification and assessment of this condition, as well as providing advice on a range of approaches to assist students. The Prime Maths Maths program Jolly Phonics (whole day)
The following professional Development was also completed:
Feuerstein Program Teaching and Learning With iPads Peer mediation Garden Art and sustainability Effectively managing and Supporting Very Difficult students
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
MSO Differentiation in the Primary Maths classroom Mentoring Graduate Teachers Child protection with JCCV Gifted education iPads in the music room- getting started maximising language learning opportunities for students Leadership Inquiry approach in the Language Classroom Assessment for Better Learning using Naplan Data Reading Assessment Teaching and Learning with iPads
Jewish Studies:
This year in Jewish Studies and the studies of Yiddish and Hebrew, we consolidated and implemented the program changes that had been initiated in 2013. As a result the Jewish studies program progressed which meant for the children improved knowledge of Yiddish and Hebrew and we believe a greater enjoyment in their Jewish studies subjects. We were very pleased with the engagement of our students and with the dedication and hard work of our Jewish studies teachers.
Behind our celebration of all the yomtoyvim and of Sholem Aleichem’s birthday, Yom Hashoah and Yom Ha’atsmaut and Shabes is the teaching of Jewish values to our students. One of the key values is ‘tsedoke’. We encourage our children to give and to understand that there are many people in the world, including Jewish people, who are less fortunate than them and that tsedoke is a fundamental, ethical principle of Judaism.
Of course, all the yomtoyvim are celebrated with joy in the Sholem tradition. Celebrating the yomtoyvim is not just about having fun, though fun is important. Each celebration is a learning experience in which each yontev is put into the context of Jewish history and Jewish life.
Our Jewish studies programs are implemented in a variety of ways including the use class sets of readers, Tal Am workbooks and the new Yiddish readers produced by the school, which are theme-based. Themes are integrated with the children's general studies through song, drama, literature, art and craft, drills, games and, of course, computers. The new readers have become part of every Yiddish classroom by now and with the help of our volunteer readers, parents, grandparents and friends of the school, the children are reading regularly. The Sholem language classroom is a safe and joyful place. The atmosphere in the rooms is warm and inviting and loving and our children seem to naturally love languages. The Yiddish assistant continues to be an invaluable member of the team in the Jewish studies program, helping with small group work in classes and in the production of many resources for the teachers.
Performance is a big part of our school year and students started the year with performances in the Lebedike Radio Show at the Kadimah and singing at a model seyder at the Caulfield Shul, run by Jewish Care. Grade 4s and 5s and 6s were involved to great acclaim. Appearances at the Mitvokh Klub are always a highlight for the children and they perform there twice during the year.
The final performance for the year was at the Presentation Night and the depth and breadth of the students’ knowledge of Yiddish and Hebrew and of course music and musical instruments, was on display. The grade 6 graduation presentation – written and directed by Freydi Mrocki- was brilliant and truly showcased the children’s knowledge and prowess in the languages, not to mention their total enjoyment of the whole process.
In 2014 after several years of research and discussion we changed the way Yom Hashoah is marked at our school. The very young children are told that it is a sad day and are shown the candles which will later be lit by the older children. Grade one and two classes have appropriate stories written for children for that age group read to them.
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
For the older children grades 3-6, a commemoration ceremony is held with songs, poems and a talk later to the grade 5 and 6 children by a holocaust survivor. We avoid as far as possible going into details about the terrible things that happened. We believe that the children should know something about the holocaust and what happened to the Jewish people but we are sensitive to the fact that they are young children and should not be traumatised.
This year the school choir was involved in the Communal Holocaust Commemoration at Robert Blackwood Hall as well as our own Sholem ceremony. The children who took part in the community ceremony, were a credit to the school and to their parents. They performed with dignity and respect as always. At school the grade 6 group were instrumental in running the whole Ghetto Commemoration. The warmth and humanity that our children display always moves us.
Work was ongoing on our Yiddish scope and sequence/curriculum document. The next stage will be to complete the Jewish Studies and Hebrew scope and sequence in 2015
We believe that Sholem Aleichem College is the jewel in the crown of the Jewish day school system in Melbourne. Everyone who comes to the school is overwhelmed by the warmth of the atmosphere, the quality of the teaching, the love for the children and the determination by the staff and by the school community in general to instill in them a pride in their Jewish history in their Jewish traditions and in the unity of the Jewish people.
Informal Jewish Education
2014 marked the second year of our Informal Jewish Education program at Sholem Aleichem College. Our school has maintained a high standard of yontef celebrations, attempting to engage all our students. With assistance from SKIF, our school enjoyed a whole day of activities for Purim, including a round-robin of activities and a drama workshop with Dramalicious. We have a successful year of shalakh mones collections for the Glen Eira Food Bank. On Yom Ha’atzmaut we were, once again, joined by Hashy and Habo for a day of fun activities, including our very own Maccabiah Games.
Throughout our yontef activities, we have supported Jewish Care, participating in their pre-yontef tsedoke drives by assisting in preparing cards for the elderly residents at Montefiore Homes and Emmy Monash Homes.
We have celebrated Sholem Aleichem’s birthday in style by inviting Mr Con Roubos, dressed as Sholem Aleichem, to speak to the children at our birthday party assembly. Our students performed pieces by and about Sholem Aleichem and enjoyed eating some birthday cake. In 2014, for a change, we asked all students to dress up as Sholem Aleichem and bring in a gold coin to donate to the National Yiddish Book Centre
In 2014, we held Yom Hashoah assemblies for Grades 3-6. In both years, our students have shown how mature they are and their respect shown for the assembly is commendable. Each year, we invite a survivor to share their experiences with the Grades 5/6 students. Last year, the students heard from Gary. The students listened carefully and respectfully as both men shared their experiences and answered the students’ questions.
In 2014, we trialled having two Peysakh seyders: a junior seyder and a senior seyder. In 2014 we welcomed graduates to help lead one of our seyders. We are, as always, grateful to our parents who assisted us greatly with the preparation of food for our seyders.
In 2014, we also continued our Lag B’omer celebrations, where students were able to eat potatoes that were cooked on our own bon fire, danced and sang songs. Shevues was also a lot of fun as students came together as a school for a special assembly. We collected a lot of fruit and vegetables for a food bank and the students drank some chocolate milk as a special mikhik treat. Rosh Hashone and Yom Kiper were celebrated with a special assembly. Students were given apples with honey and we even set up a special post box where students could post apology cards to each other before Yom Kiper.
Mitzvah Day has also become an important event on our school calendar. In 2014, we dedicated our Mitzvah Day project to Indigenous Australian communities in need. We teamed up with the Have a Ball Foundation to send much-needed school supplies to schools in the Northern Territory. In an attempt to help our students understand the need for this collection, we held a day of activities, with the help of SKIF and Ebony Erez, which focused on educating our students on Indigenous Australians. Our collection drive was very successful! A special thanks goes to all families who joined us on Mitzvah Day to pack the boxes of supplies and write notes to the students who would be receiving the supplies. Following the school carnival, left over used books as well as sports equipment no longer in use by our school were donated to the
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014 foundation. Thanks to our assistance, Have a Ball has now reached over 10, 000 balls donated to Indigenous Australian children in need. Earlier this year, we received thank you notes from the students who benefitted from our collection, which are now on display at school for our students to see and be proud of. Some of our students also performed for elderly members of the community on Mitzvah Day.
In the lead-up to Khanuke, we invited all students to bring in home-made khanuke lomps (chanukiahs). We displayed them all in the ‘link’ to the Preschool. In Jewish Art Club, we created our own giant khanuke lomp, which was also on display. We are very grateful to Ora Glickman, who made egg-free ponchkes for our whole school. We also held a dreydl spinning competition during recess for a whole week. The winner overall was Ruby Berman, from Grade 4. The fact that the final 4 contestants in the competition ranged from Grade 1-Grade 4 demonstrated how inclusive our Informal Jewish Education activities have been. After all, this is what we have aimed to do – to ensure that students across our school can find a way to connect with Secular Jewish life and identity outside of the classroom.
As well as continuing with our weekly JQI quiz competition and Jewish Art Club, we also attempted to have some new competitions around the school. We instituted a Jewish film competition. The competition allowed students to explore the secular celebration of yomtoyvim and helped reinforce the secular-Jewish traditions they learn about at school. The top two videos were shown at our Shabes assembly.
A major project for 2014 was updating our assembly slide show to include transliterated words for our Shabes songs so that our parents can participate in our Shabes Simkhe. We have also attempted to keep new staff informed about our yomtoyvim from a secular perspective prior to each yontef. In the lead-up to each yontef, we have also tried to put up some special decorations. Other responsibilities have included organizing youth group visits, writing newsletter updates and attending school camps.
We are continually searching for new and engaging ideas for our students, which will be supported by our new Jewish Studies captain for 2015. We are sure that 2015 will prove to be another successful year for the program.
Residential Programs
Grade 3
The purpose of this camp is to give our students a unique beach/ocean experience. It is also a significant opportunity for our students to develop both their personal and social skills and confidence.
The students:
Fed pelicans at San Remo
Visited the Nobbies
Had the experience of seeing the penguins in the evening
Enjoyed outdoor education activities
Participated in beach activities
Visited the Koala Conservation Centr
Years 4 experienced a two night /three day stay at Sovereign Hill. They panned for gold, attended an 1850’s classroom, went shopping in the main street, watched the sound & light show production of Blood on the Southern Cross, made candles and sweets the old fashioned way, went deep into the mines and discovered what life was like in the 1850’s. This camp was a significant opportunity for our students to develop both their personal & social skills and confidence and experience a significant part of Australian history first hand.
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
Year 5 & 6 participated in a four day and night) program in Canberra where they were fortunate to visit both the Old and current Parliament Houses, the National Gallery, the High Court, Questacon, Black Mountain! Telstra Tower, Australian Institute for Sport, the National Film and Sound Archives and the Australian War Memorial. This camp.
Technology
The past year has seen Computer Information Technology become even more embedded into the day to day life of Sholem Aleichem College. The eLearning coordinator meets with teachers, during planning sessions, to help them insert technology into their programing and offering alternatives and new ideas, but the use of computers, iPads and interactive screens are now naturally utilized by the teachers.
The use and acceptance of technology at school appears to follow the same lines as the general community. In January 2014, when the BYOiPad program was first introduced, various sessions, both in individual and group format, were offered and utilized by parents. It was important not only to have the by in from parents but to ensure our students would use this technology wisely and effectively.
Apart from the concerns of a few parents, mainly regarding the “social aspects” of iPad use, parents are happy with the BYO program and teachers are certainly seeing the benefits within their classrooms.
The iPads, and technology in general, have enabled teachers to engage many of the students who have traditionally been harder to motivate. The power of technology is that whether it is practising basic number facts, creating a presentation or putting together a movie, the students’ approach their work with both excitement and focus.
Training
It is paramount that teachers are given regular PD in order to keep them on the cutting edge of new and better technology. Teachers have been sent to a variety of In-services and there have been many in house sessions too.
Some of the programs that the teachers have been upskilled on are:
Plicker Skoolbo Mathletics iMovie, Book Creator GoNoodle.com Comic Book Little Story Maker Popplet Skitch ExplainEverything PuppetPals Bible Buddies Scootle App4students/teachers/parents The new Remote Access link to the school server from outside of school OnDemand Testing School Writing Make Dice QR Readers Tellagami
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Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
SAMR Model Learning Model
There is no point using technology just for the sake of it. We have long gone passed technology being an “add on” within a school. Below is a model of how we aim for technology to develop at Sholem Aleichem College.
The most basic level of technical implementation is the Substitution stage. These are programs such as word processors and the associated activities don’t intrinsically alter, be they completed on a computer or by hand.
The most complex level of implementation is the Redefinition level. At this stage Apps are used to set activities that could not even be conceived prior to this new technological advancement.
The aim is to give the teachers the support that enables them to work at the higher levels of this model.
The Jewish Studies staff committed to the use of technology. We have new Yiddish and Hebrew programs and apps which are being used by the students both individually and as a class and on our special Yom Toyvim days we have seen such activities as QR code scavenger hunts and Virtual tours. Last year saw the popular introduction of picture and movie competitions based on the student’s own Jewish experiences.
Purchases
We have purchased the following items throughout the last financial year:
A 65cm touch screen monitor for the library 5 lap tops that are housed within the library 15 new iPads for the school 5 new iPads – 1 for each kinder room 2 new large TV monitors for the Grade 4 rooms 10 “stand alone” computers with touch screen monitors A charging/syncing station for 30 iPads and 4 laptops 2 apple tv’s - Grade 4 rooms 1 Action Tech Wireless Beam – art room New child friendly keyboards and head phones in the Prep rooms Classrooms
Each class room has at least 4 computers, a large screen and direct access to a class set of iPads. The class systems are designed in a way that enables each teacher to mirror the screens of Apple devices onto their large screens. This allows the students to share their work.
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All students have Skoolbo accounts whilst the Preps, 1’s and 2’s also have Bug Club and Mathletics accounts. All students from Grade 4 have their own login, email address and access to their personal digital diary.
Art Room and Library
In the art room we are trialling a PC version of Apple TV, Action Tech Wireless Beam. This allows PC’s to access devices without WIFI capability, thus avoiding having to run expensive cabling. In this way a lap top can project onto the monitor in the art room.
The library houses 10 computers with bilingual key boards, a large interactive screen and 5 laptops. These are constantly being used by both staff and students.
We have set up a new server to enable the students’ access to VCAA Online Testing program. This is government run initiative which enables you to test students, either according to a particular level, or in a way that increases in difficulty, until the students have found their own benchmark.
A new Firewall has been installed that gives the staff full remote access to the school computer services from their homes. This is much more comprehensive and stable system than the previous one.
Digital Citizenship Program
We have designed and implemented a Digital Citizenship program which runs from Prep through to Grade 6, building on the skills as the children mature.
The areas covered are:
Internet Safety Privacy and Security Relationships and Communication Cyber Bullying Digital Footprint Reputation Self-Image and Identity Information Literacy Creative Credit and Copyright
As the grades 4’s acquire their own iPads, they begin their school year with a unit of work that carefully looks at the School Technology Policy and User Agreement. The students presented various aspects of these documents in a variety of ways eg. iMovie’s, Explain Everything documents, Tellagamis.
We cannot deny technology is a crucial component in the education sphere today and it is our duty to prepare our students for the world they will be living in, a world we do not know. We must give them the skills to be problem solvers and prepare them for jobs that don’t exist today, in fact we do not know what type of professions will be in existence when they graduate from school.
Creative Arts
Students at Sholem Aleichem have had a wonderfully creative year in the art room this year. The art program has helped enrich their learning across all areas of the curriculum, as art activities were integrated into Jewish and General Studies. Students used their weekly art lesson to explore new techniques and media, beautify the school environment, enrich their units of learning, and learn to express their feelings and ideas through making art works.
Some of the highlights of 2014 were:
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Students had opportunities to further their painting skills in a fun and messy way when they helped paint the back drops for the annual college musical. They also helped sculpt the props.
All primary students took home a ceramic artwork which they sculpted from scratch. The pieces were fired and glazed and they looked magnificent.
A big focus in 2014 in Art was creating and responding to the elements of art by seeing and using colour, line, space, texture and shape. Students used these elements not only in their own art works, but were encouraged to see how other artists used them too. The children enjoyed learning to make mosaics for the Indigenous garden. They developed new skills new in painting, drawing, collage, watercolour painting, construction, textiles and printmaking.
The highlight of the artistic year was the 2014 art exhibition in Term 4, where a large variety of art forms could really be seen and appreciated by the whole school community. The quality and variety of expressive artworks in the forms of paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints, textiles and ceramic was really a credit to the creativity of our wonderful students at Sholem Aleichem College.
Music
Music at Sholem Aleichem College is alive and ever revolving! The symphony of sounds echoing through the corridors entices visitors and engulfs them with a warm welcome!
Our busy musical year began with wonderful performances from some of our talented students, who entertained our new parents at the annual dinner.
During the first week of school, the grade 3 children were introduced to our ensemble instruments. At a special evening, they were given the opportunity to play violins, clarinets, flutes, cellos and percussion. They were then asked to choose their favourite one, with the understanding that they will continue playing that instrument for four years.
I am pleased to report that the children have enjoyed their lessons, and they have progressed extremely well with their playing this year. The instrumental group has performed at assemblies, and the celebration evening. I look forward to their continued growth and further enjoyment.
Each week the children enjoy a fun filled music lesson incorporating the many musical concepts of the curriculum. Choir and instrumental is taught to grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 and recorder to the grade 2 children. This year has been a remarkable year for the Grade 2 children as they have shown wonderful progress with their recorder playing. They are excited and eager to participate in the instrumental program in 2015.
Once again the senior years’ choir was invited to join the children of the other Jewish day schools in a combined schools choir. They sang at the annual Yom Hashoa Commemoration which was held on Sunday 27th April, at the Robert Blackwood Hall.
On Tuesday 20th May, the grade 4 choir sang at a gala event at the Docklands. This was an evening of dedication to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Jewish Holocaust Centre. The celebrations continued, when on Sunday 25th May the senior years’ choir sang at the Time Capsule Ceremony. The children sang both at the opening and closing of the afternoon event.
Our continued alliance with the Mitvoh Klub enabled the children to perform regularly throughout the year singing in Yiddish, Hebrew and English.
It is with much pride that I witness many more children audition for the annual music soiree, each year. This indicates the growing love and dedication to studying an instrument both within and outside the school.
This year, once again, we held two separate performances as the number of children wishing to perform was far too great!
As usual we were treated to these wonderfully talented children who performed with professional precision and obvious enjoyment! 15 | P a g e
Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
Our musical this year was A Shtik in Time, a compilation of the great songs from the 20th century. Each class sang and danced to the ever popular tunes of ABBA, the Seekers and Hair. The children sang Hebrew songs of peace and a Yiddish rock’n’ roll songs, amongst others too many to mention!
The children were accompanied by a wonderful band made up of our instrumental teachers. The choreography was amazing and the costumes were colourful and authentic! What a spectacular display of talent! Mazel-tov to everyone involved.
On 22nd August, the girls in grade 2-6 were treated to a visit by organizers of the Australian Girls Choir. The girls were assessed for a position in the choir and a good number were chosen to join.
The senior years’ choir performed at the Classic Theatre on Tuesday 11th November as part of the Jewish Film Festival. They sang a number of Yiddish songs executing beautiful harmonies. I am always so proud of the angelic voices our children produce. Such nachas!
The Celebration Evening was held on Wednesday 10th December at the St Kilda Town Hall.
Classes performed songs in Yiddish, Hebrew and English, celebrating the power of Songs in our lives.
Grade 5/6, grade 4 and grade 3 school ensemble groups played, showing their growth and musicianship. What a wonderful performance!
Another successful musical year! Bring on 2015!
PE and Sport
Over the past two years, the Health and Physical Education department at Sholem Aleichem College has reviewed, restructured and implemented exciting and relevant new programs for the school. The aim was to ensure that not only are the programs aligned with the Health and Physical Education Australian Curriculum, but also relevant to the modern needs of our students.
The programs that were implemented in 2014 proved to be very successful. Firstly, interschool sports. We aligned ourselves with School Sports Victoria (SSV) the peak body for School Sport in Victoria. The following are the sports and their outstanding results:
Cross country- Grades 3-6: We achieved a 4th and a 6th- both girls qualified for the regional competition. Netball Lightning Premiership: Grades 5/6: The netball team came first in their division. Hoop Time Basketball Competition: Grades 3-6: We entered two teams in the Grade 3/4 competition. The Grade 5/6: team qualified for the State Championships and finished 8th in the state! Over 900 schools participated in this competition. T20 Cricket- Grades: We entered one team in the competition.
In addition, in 2014, we also participated in the AFL Multicultural cup program. This program has been designed by the AFL to promote cultural awareness. The program consists of 5 sessions where an AFL staff member not player comes to the school and teaches AFL 9’s for 5 sessions during the students PE classes. At the completion of this program, students are selected to represent the school in a Cup carnival where they play against other schools that have a predominant ethnic, religious or cultural background. We sent one boys team to the carnival and one girls’ team. Both teams qualified for the state finals. The boys’ team came third in the state and the girls’ team achieved the runners up place out of the whole state!! An outstanding result!
Other important programs and events that should be mentioned from 2014 are the swimming program and the annual sports day. The swimming program is now held in a new venue called Starfish Swim school which has excellent facilities and an excellent program for students. The Health and Physical Education Department received extremely positive feedback about the program. Secondly, there was a significant and positive restructuring of the annual Sports day event. Students from Prep to Grade 2 participated in the regular events like Egg and Spoon and Sac race, however students from Grade 3-6 participated in 4 track and field events. This proved to be highly enjoyable for the students and again the feedback was extremely positive!
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Overall an extremely positive and exciting year for Physical Education at Sholem Aleichem College!!
Reporting and Assessment
Assessment
A major focus of the staff this year is assessment: how we assess, when we assess and how we can use assessment to drive targeted student learning.
The staff have worked collaboratively to develop a whole school scope and sequence of assessment to ensure that there is uniformity throughout the school.
Accurate and comprehensive assessment of student performance aids in establishing open communication, guides student learning, assists in establishing future directions and helps to identify areas of excellence, as well as those areas in need of support and assistance.
We acknowledge that students learn best when they are challenged by learning which is engaging, exciting, relevant to life and appropriate to their stage of development and readiness. Therefore it is important to gather and store information about student progress, so we can improve student learning by accurately determining current performance as well as areas of future need and development.
Assessment requires a mix of summative assessment of learning to determine and report what the student has learned, formative assessment to guide future learning and ongoing assessment to focus teacher feedback alongside student self- assessment and reflection.
We have established the whole-school assessment schedule for teachers which include a variety of assessment strategies providing multiple sources of information about student achievement. These include standardised and class tests, assignments, projects, portfolios, performance observations, discussions and involvement in state wide standardised testing processes such as NAPLAN.
Teachers use the data they collect to make judgements about, and report on, student achievements and future learning.
Reporting
As part of our school review last year we identified the need to rewrite our reports. We wanted to create a format that the parents would find both accessible and meaningful.
In our new reporting system, student achievement and progress is reported by comparing students' work against a standards framework of curriculum outcomes through a number of checklists for each subject area. We believe that reporting this way provides more meaningful and useful information to the parents.
The standards have not altered and still use the same A – E rating. This rating system is in line with both National and State indicators of learning success.
The Learning Outcomes statements explicitly describe the various skills and concepts that have been, or will be, taught at each year level and in every subject area. ( except Jewish Studies). These checklists are in line with the new Australian Curriculum, AusVELS and our school’s specific educational goals. These directly reflect what has been taught in each classroom.
A new subject called Humanities was included as Geography has now been added to the Australian curriculum and this, together with History make up the subject area of Humanities.
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We also included detailed course descriptors in the areas of: Humanities; Science; Visual Arts; Music and Physical Education. These descriptors give an overview of content covered and a snapshot of the activities experienced during Semester 1. These will change each report cycle.
Approaches to Learning identify a child’s progress in the areas of Personal Learning, Interpersonal Development, Thinking Processes and Information and Communication Technology. These reflect a child’s social, emotional and cognitive growth and are also presented in a very detailed checklist.
The reports align very closely to our new assessment schedule. Greater authenticity in assessment requires quality feedback that enables the students and parents to understand student performance at the time of reporting and to know what is required for future progress and mastery.
Jewish Studies reports will also be revised and presented in the same format for Semester 2 2015.
Learning Support
Research by Jerome Rosner, “Helping Children overcome learning difficulties” indicates that in a Prep or First Grade classroom with a class of twenty children in a standard school, approximately five of the children would not progress at a satisfactory rate, even though they were adequately intelligent, adequately motivated and free from obvious handicaps. These children, for no apparent reason experience difficulty accessing the curriculum and often these difficulties come as a surprise to the parents as no issues of concern were evident in the kinder setting. As the issues are school based, identification and support becomes the responsibility of the class teacher together with the Learning Support team.
When a student is identified as not progressing at the class level, he/she is referred to Sharlene for assessment and a feedback meeting with parents and teachers is held to discuss assessment results and ascertain whether there is any need for further intervention with outside professionals. Should these students require support, the College has different support programs in place to accommodate the varying learning needs.
The Learning Support team aims to support all students with special needs from Kinder to Year 6.
ONLINE ASSESSMENT An innovation was to begin online diagnostic testing across all year levels. The assessments used were PAT Maths, PAT Comprehension/Reading, PAT Spelling and PAT Vocabulary. All students were assigned tests and completed them online with teachers being able to access the results immediately. The results will be transferred to the SPA (Performance Analyser) to inform teachers with their planning.
Another innovation was the introduction of Online Assessment (different from the PAT group of assessments) and this further information will provide teachers with information on the progress of the students in their classes.
SWANS (Students with Special Needs) online assessment was purchased. This comprises 5 observation surveys which assess the foundation learning skills of communication, literacy, interpersonal learning, emotional self-management and personal learning.
STUDENT SUPPORT Four Support programs are offered to relevant students
GAP This is designed specifically for students who have not reached the benchmark reading level. Structured and systematic teaching of basic reading skills is provided.
BRIDGES: NUMERACY AND LITERACY This program is targeted to students from Prep to Grade 6 who require extra support with literacy and numeracy acquisition. Students may be withdrawn from the classroom to work either individually or in small flexible groups. Support is offered only when required and students may enter and leave the groups as necessary.
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ESL This program targets students whose home language is not English.
During 2014, ESL support was offered to 10 students who had arrived from Israel throughout the year. The ESL teacher was Samantha Kirszner and she used the “Gogo loves English” program. The students made excellent progress and after a short period were conversing with their peers.
ENHANCEMENT
Designed specifically for students who are achieving well above the average, the enhancement program provides extension and acceleration activities in small groups settings where students work with like-minded peers.
In Terms 1 and 2 the Enhancement Program embraced the school’s focus of ‘Expanding our Horizons’ by exploring the major advances of mankind. Students in Years 1 – 3 discovered the pathways of man’s evolution and how the use of fire changed the way our early ancestors lived. Students in Years 4 – 6 followed on from this and enjoyed learning about the agricultural, industrial and technological revolutions. They also worked on a personal project creating a Prezi Presentation on an important discovery or invention that led to significant changes in the way humans lived.
In Term 3 Sholem Aleichem College participated, for the first time, in the Tournament of Minds (TOM). TOM is an international problem solving competition for students from both primary and secondary schools. Tournament Day was held at Deakin University, Burwood on Sunday the 17th of August.
Although our team did not win the competition they did come in the top third for their performance. With over 60 schools participating, this was an incredible first time effort.
In term 4 the focus was Outer Space. On Thursday 19 November the Years 3 to 6 Enhancement Learning Team visited the Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC) - a dedicated Space education facility which is located in Strathmore. At VSSEC, students donned flight suits, watched a movie that flew them to Mars and took part in a scientific mission in the Space Laboratory. All students had the opportunity to work as astronauts, scientists and mission controllers.
The excursion was the culmination of five weeks of research completed during their Learning Enhancement lessons in Term 4. During these lessons students studied the topographical features and climate of Mars and designed their own Mars Base which could sustain and support human life.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) facilitated a comprehensive seminar on Dyslexia which was available to all teachers and teacher assistants. The seminars were thorough and presented at different levels based on Special Education qualifications. Sharlene attended all seminars and was able to acquire four new assessments for Dyslexia to the value of $3000.00.
NAPLAN
The NAPLAN tests were held in May. Results indicate that we are working at above the State Level.
FUNDING
A change in the funding model meant that funds for students with needs was included in a lump sum paid to the school for all programs and no longer targeted to a student for a set period of time. However, State funding applications were resumed and applications were forward to ISV for students requiring speech therapy.
Jewish Schools Integration Program (JSIP) continues to fund students based on previous funding model and provided support for 14 students.
Sharlene Wertheimer, Director of Learning Support assumes the following responsibilities
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Meet fortnightly with teachers to assess students’ progress and plan goals. Meet with language therapists, psychologists and occupational therapists at least once a term to discuss relevant students’ progress or devise individual learning plans. (ILPs) Attend network meetings Organize timetables for assistants, visiting teachers and therapists Supervise Naplan testing program Attend relevant Professional Development Seminars Submit Government and Jewish Schools Integration Program funding applications.
Naplan results
Sholem Aleichem College participates in the annual NAPLAN assessment.
Below are the NAPLAN 2014 results:
Yellow=State Red=School
YEAR 3
State Scho
ol
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Reading: Students ABOVE the State and National Minimum Standard 100%
Writing: Students ABOVE the State and National Minimum Standard 100%
Spelling: Students ABOVE the State and National Minimum Standard 100%
G&P: Students ABOVE the State and National Minimum Standard 100%
Numeracy: Students ABOVE the State and National Minimum Standard 100%
FIVE YEAR TREND
Reading
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Writing/Structure: In 2014 the genre for writing task remained a persuasive piece.
Spelling:
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Numeracy:
Grammar and Punctuation:
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YEAR 5: In 2014, the grade 5 cohort consisted of only 9 students and therefore it is difficult to derive accurate statistical data.
Reading: Students ABOVE the National Minimum Standard 78%
Writing: Students ABOVE the State and National Minimum Standard 100%
Spelling: Students ABOVE the National Minimum Standard 89%
G&P: Students ABOVE the State and National Minimum Standard 100%
Numeracy: Students ABOVE the National Minimum Standard 67%
FIVE YEAR TREND
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Reading
Writing
Spelling
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Grammar and Punctuation
Numeracy
Summary
Once again, our year 3 results in 2014 were significantly higher than the previous year and well above National minimum standards. Our students performed exceptionally well. In all areas, even though the national and state average has remained basically constant over the last 5 years, Sholem’s results have increasingly improved and in some areas markedly. Mathematics/Numeracy has been a strong focus area in our curriculum development and it is pleasing to see such improvement in ability across the year level.
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With respect to our Year 5 results in 2014, eventhough we had a small number of students and as stated from VCAA “Caution should be used when drawing conclusions from this data, particularly with small groups of students”, in all areas the students are above National and state average, except for numeracy. There has also been an increase in student results over a five year period. Finance Report
As a result of a significant increase in numbers and a well managed control of expenditure, the college is on a solid footing.
Our administration and finance team are working effectively under the guidance of Dianne Rich, our business manager with efficient process in place to closely monitor the financial business of the college. As our college continues to expand, we are in the process of developing a close partnership with the Kadimah and Habonim and together developing a masterplan for the further expansion of Sholem Aleichem College
Our finance and administration department has a solid team: Hailey Hobbs, our Office Administration Officer and my Personal Assistant, Fiona Thai, Assistant to the Business Manager, Tina Mu, Finance Officer, Despina Frederikos, Preschool Officer, Brad Feldstead, Marketing/Fundraising Officer and Maya Feldman, Enrolment Officer. Even though it is a small team, roles are defined and there has been a marked improvement in communication and professionalism which begins at reception and when you enter the school.
Our fee collection and concession process is clear and robust as well as implementing a new payroll and leave process.
This year we also received donations and bequests that will assist us with growing the school and providing a wonderful Jewish education to our children.
Also this year, we have had to deal with a new funding model that was vaguely based on the Gonski model. Also the funding of the Students with disability is different to previous years and there is more autonomy for the school.
Thank you to the administration team for helping us achieve another financially successful year.
Marketing and Development Report
The school’s new website came on line mid 2014 and has been extremely well received. It offers a unique point of difference from other school websites with its vibrant use of full screen video on the landing page, and an interface that uses cutting edge layout and design features. The site is fully auto responsive for use on all devices including phones and tablets.
Major features include:
Unique design elements to position Sholem Aleichem as best Jewish Primary School and Kindergarten in Australia
Responsive fluid layout which will automatically update to the type of device user is viewing, ie desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile
An Intuitive Navigation System to provide multiple interaction paths that ensure context for users who come in through search or links.
Calls to Action on each relevant page.
Full social media integration to including direct access to Facebook page and the College’s You Tube Chanel
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Updateable ‘What’s On’ section that will automatically archive post dated events.
Website design includes Wordpress CMS integration.
In line with our improved web presence, social and other digital media has become a more substantial element of the college’s marketing initiatives particularly through the school’s Facebook Page.
The 2014 Annual Appeal was a great success, with donations tracking at a similar level to previous years (after removal of unique ‘one-off’ donations from 2013 and 2012.) A full mailout was done to the school’s entire data base, real estate boards were put up, print ads were employed in The AJN and Leader and for the first time social media will be used to support the appeal.
Supporters had the option of being able to donate to any of the following: Building Fund, Scholarship Fund, Library Fund, Jewish School Fund.
The AJN still remains the primary print medium for reaching our target demographic. Despite a turnover in staff in the education department at the AJN, we have invested considerable effort in further developing our personal relationships with the education feature writer (Zoe Kron) and key photographer at the paper (Peter Haskin). This has resulted in the school receiving excellent written and pictorial coverage in the AJN.
The college continues to invest in advertorial for the quarterly education supplements, and our stories are now being featured more prominently in these supplements.
Spending by the other Jewish Schools, notably King David and Bialik in the AJN seems to be on the increase, and it is very difficult to compete with these schools in terms of sheer volume of ad spend.
We continue to use real estate boards to promote major events and important initiatives of the school such as the annual appeal, business breakfast, enrolment campaigns, open day, and more.
Greater emphasis has been placed on generating high quality photographic images for school promotion. Photographer Corey Wright has been engaged on a regular basis, and his work in capturing the ethos and spirit of the school and its students have been excellent.
A video tour of the school has been produced to increase enrolments and serve as a digital introduction to the school. The video features an introduction by the Principal and numerous presentations by students. It emphasises key selling points of the college including academic excellence, broad extracurricular activities, strong Jewish values and traditions, exceptional teaching staff and the strength of the broader Sholem community.
Open Day was held in early May and was very well attended. The genuine appreciation by visiting parents of the school’s key strengths in terms of academic excellence, Jewish values and community spirit was keenly evident. A special mention should be made for the exceptional way in which senior years students acted as ambassadors for the school on the day.
Grants: An extensive review of available grant funding was undertaken in early March. Whilst many grants specifically preclude school applications, or are designed primarily for non-school applicants a number of options were identified. These include grants available through Glen Eira Council which were be applied for in joint cooperation with The Kadimah to foster the intergenerational continuation of Yiddish culture and tradition, and in support of the In One Voice festival. Artist in Residence grants with the aim of producing a second instalment with filmmaker Mike Feurnstein of the ‘Left Out’ series in 2015 were investigated, but these were unavailable to us as we had previously received grants in this area.
To boost student numbers and increase awareness of the school a major enrolment campaign was undertaken during Term 4.
The aim was to promote key elements of the Sholem brand including:
Strong academic program Centrality of Judaism to Sholem 29 | P a g e
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Sense of community Affordability in comparison to other Jewish Schools
Photographic elements were deliberately chosen to promote the size of the Sholem student cohort to represent to the community how the school has grown. The campaign utilised paid adverts in the AJN and Leader newspapers and also large format real estate boards. Personalised tours with the Principal also featured as key elements of the campaign.
The 2014 Yearbook swelled out to 120 pages to incorporate additional features including more Yiddish and Hebrew pages. The increased number of pages elongated the printing process due to a change in the binding requirements and this is something to be noted for future year’s scheduling. Increased revenue was also raised through a strong focus on expanding the advertising section in the back of the magazine.
Events
After the annual appeal, our second largest fundraising event was the annual Business Breakfast once again held at Carousel Receptions. The theme of this year’s event was ‘The Business of the Future – How to lead, not just compete.’ The event was extremely successful and featured a range of high profile speakers including Ernie Schwartz, Elliot Epstein and Morris Miselowski. Gary Peer and Associates were the event’s major sponsor. Funds raised are directed towards the Scholarship Fund and also towards upgrading the schools equipment and facilities.
The annual College Carnival was held in November and was a great success. Although this is a SACPA event, the broader school was very well represented with students helping to man the stalls and an art show featuring work from students of all year levels running concurrently.
The School Concert for 2014 was ‘A Shtick in Time’. The production was themed around a collection of songs from different eras and was performed in Sholem’s trademark style of English, Hebrew and Yiddish. The students performed in fine style and the concert was exceptionally well received by the audiences.
Celebration Night 2014 was described by many of the patrons as ‘Sholem’s best Celebration Night.’ It was a professionally executed evening than ran very smoothly and was highly enjoyed by the audience. It featured presentations from all year levels, the traditional awards and a graduation ceremony for the Grade 6 students. A graduation party for the Grade 6 cohort and their families was held after the event.
Regular internal events such as the Annual Staff Lunch, Staff Welcome Breakfast, and New Parents Welcome Dinner were all run with great success and were very well enjoyed by participants.
Grandparents’ Day was a great success and provided a unique opportunity for grandparents to be integrated into the College for day and discover more of what makes the college so special in terms of educational excellence, Jewish traditions and community spirit. The warmth in the rooms and halls was palpable and the feedback from Grandparents was excellent.
The Friday before Father’s Day saw the school hold its annual Father’s Day Breakfast which was attended by over 80 dads and a proved a great opportunity for congratulating our dads on all the wonderful things they do.
Sholem hosted an afternoon tea for Jewish School Principals on Oct 28, and a breakfast for Jewish School Presidents on Nov 26. Full kosher catering was provided for both events, which took place in the school library, and the events drew very positive comments about Sholem from all involved. Furthermore a meeting was held on April 29 in the Sholem Aleichem Library for all presidents of Melbourne Jewish Schools that was attended by James Molino, Deputy Leader of the Victorian Labor Party and Shadow Minister for Education, and Josh Burns, ALP Candidate for elect for the Seat of Caulfield. James and Josh were both taken on a tour of the school by Steve Charisis (Helen Greenberg was overseas) that included a visit to the Grade 1 classes. The school provided a kosher, fully catered brunch for the guests. By all accounts the meeting was an excellent success and much positive feedback was received for the manner in which Sholem hosted the event.
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Revenues for 2014 Income a. Total revenue $2.985m (100%) b. Fees Charges and Parent Contributions $975k (33%) c. Government Grants Recurrent $1.394k (47%) d. Government Grants Capital $398k (13%) e. Donations and Appeals $217k (7%)
Expenses a. Total Expenditure $2.302m (100%) b. Salaries and Salary On Costs $1.835m (80%) c. Teaching Expenses $311k (14%) d. Occupancy Costs $113k (5%) e. Finance Costs $19k (1%) f. Depreciation $6k (%) (market value method) g. Bad and Doubtful Debt Expense $16.5k 1%)
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Sholem Aleichem College - 2014 Summary of Income Catagories
7% 13% 33% Fees/Charges & Parent Contributions Government Grants Recurrent 47% Government Grants Capital
Donations & Appeals
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Sholem Aleichem Colege - 2014 Summary of Expenditure Catagories
0% 1% 1% 5% Salaries and 13% OnCosts
Teaching Expenses
Occupancy Costs 80% Finance Costs
Depreciation (market value method used) Bad and Doubtful Debt Expense
New and enhanced curricula and co-curricula activities
In 2014, the students were provided with a wide range of extra-curricular activities for students. We are proud and determined to offer programs that are designed to ensure that students receive a well-rounded education and helps them to grow and develop both inside and outside of the classroom. The focus is “a whole person” approach. The activities have included but are not limited to:
Excursions to the zoo, Botanical gardens, the market , the local library, Werribee Zoo the Chinese Museum Ceres, Jewish Museum complimented specific learning and gave a greater insight into the units of work. Many students throughout the school participated in the Premier’s reading Challenge- a wonderful incentive to encourage reading and a love of literature! The Read like A Demon program, an initiative by the Melbourne Football Club was once again introduced into the Grades 2’s, 4 and 5/6 classes to further involve students in reading. ‘Read like a Demon’ (RLAD) is a literacy program that offers students an opportunity to participate in reading and writing workshops with the Melbourne Football Club. Extension group attended Tournament of the Minds and chess competitions book week program Impact Leadership conference – Grade 5/6 Participation in Jump Rope for Heart day, Walkathon, football clinic, CPR & lifesaving training Annual school athletics carnival 33 | P a g e
Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
After school programs Jewish Youth group activities at school School concert 3 performances-Shtick in Time Prep transition program Grade 3 students - meditation program Graduation. Community presentations and involvement Instrumental program worked with members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra Sport participation in the Multicultural Cup Finals and Regional basketball finals, cricket Mitzvah Day- Our large, community based Tsodekah program. Giving progams Involvement in inter-school sports competitions School camps After school program Jewish Youth group activities at school Annual school musical involving all College students and staff. Participation in community service - Fundraising and performances Upgrading school policies Performances by choir/orchestra at public functions Professional development seminars/conferences Musical Soiree and Art Exhibition Yom Tov celebrations Life Education Van – Years P-6 Support meetings with director of Curriculum and learning support coordinator for all generalist staff Intensive swimming/water familiarisation program Participation in the Literacy and Numeracy Week Sport clinics- Interactive whiteboards and TVs in all classrooms Bridges program (Yiddish, Hebrew & English) for students requiring extra assistance Introduction of byo iPads for Grade 3-6, class sets prep to grade 3 Cybersafety Extension of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) for staff Continuation of mathletics- interactive maths computer program from Years 2-6 Instrumental musical program for Years 3,4,5 and 6 students Jewish Festival celebrations Ability groups across LOTE subjects Involvement in inter-school sports competitions Digital Citizen Program for prep to grade 6
Foci for 2015:
. A year of Celebration- Sholem’s 40th birthday . To make “thinking visible” . Theme for the year: I see…I think…I wonder . Implementation of our School Improvement Plan . The return of our New York director to film a new Unmake a bully with grade 5 and 6 . Reviewing of special ed and its programs and staffing . Review of reporting structure and reports . To have an effective activity calendar that is central to all college activities . Trial new maths program called “prime maths” in grade 1 . Develop Strategies for staff to communicate effectively with parents . Improving transition programs and increase of preschool into primary numbers 34 | P a g e
Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014
. Improve standard expectation of uniform wear . Incorporate visible thinking and enquiry learning into curriculum . Continue to embed technology into programs and upskill staff . Development of student profiles in prep . Implementation of the assessment schedule . Finish scope and sequence in JS and expanding into Hebrew . Embedding and making more purposeful our Values for a Lifetime . Developing global citizens . Cooperation on a joint project with Jewish studies department at the Bialik school in Montreal . Enhancing Jewish identity, languages and culture . Working to become involved in the cutting edge of educational research and implementation . Masterplanning and development of strategic plan for SAC . Develop closer links with alumni To make documentation on Risk management relevant and up to date Planning for the future growth of the college - facilities, staffing, etc. Expanding iPads and increase technological understanding and pedagogy Continuation of program for year 4 to 6 to BYO iPads Expanding Jolly Phonic to grade 2 Develop plans to accommodate the need for extra classes in 2016 Finding new ways to market our College
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